Dental appliance



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DENTAL APPLIANCE y Filed Oovt. 5, 1935 -INV'ENTORQ mail?? 5515 as? 4 I Patented Dec. Z7, 1938 UNITED STATES man 'Y 2,141,190 DENTAL APPLIANC-E John Alfred Linde, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application October 5, 19375-, Serial No. 43,725

i In Germany April 5, 1935 vk6 Claims.

Anotherimportant object of. my invention is' to utilize a main arch wire or frame and attach l thereto various devices and actuating members forinfluencing individual teeth or groups thereof, by means which can be readily and speedily applied and xed in position without the use of heat or any other such treatment.

A further object is to build up anv arch wire or frame itself by means oi separate arch members retained together by annular clamps or rings which may be tightly fixed upon the same without the use of any flux or type of solder.

It is .also an object of the invention to provide devices for attachment to an arch wire or frame in the manner indicated, in the form of tapered members such as springs and clasps, whichlatter may also be adapted for attachment to each 30 other.

Other objects and the various advantages aocruing from the actual construction and useoi my invention will appear more fully inv detail asl this specification proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing forming part hereof,

Fig. 1 illustrates by Way of example, the major portion of a lingual arch wire or frame provided*- with a plurality of devices or members secured'. lo thereon by means and also themselves in great part embodying the principles of the invention;

Fig. 2 is aside view of a spring. embodying certain features of the invention and forming one of the devices attached to the .arch wire of Fig. 1, 43 and being illustrated in initial form.

Fig. 3 is another view of the same spring. Fig. 4, is a sectional View of a part or devicel of Fig. 1 on line IV--IV.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View of the arch wire' or 5'.) frame as well as a spring similar to theY formi shovvn in Figs. 2 .and 3, and a clamping ring or sleeve on line V-V in Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 6 is a plan of a labial arch in position upon arow of teeth and in its Vovvn structure andin the 55 manner. of attachment of various dental-.members and otherwise attaching the springs to sleeves,

or actuating devices thereto embodying the prin- ,ciplesor the invention in practical form.

Fig. 7 is a View of .a dental appliance having clasps which in their form and in their manner of mutual assemblage embody the main principles of the invention.

Fig. 8 is` a side View of a tapered spring forming` adevice embodying certain of the principles of the present invention. V

Fig. 9 is a. plan view of the same spring.

Fig. 10 is an end ViewV of the spring of Fig. 8.

Fig.. 11y is a fragmentary Yview of an arch wire with part of a spring member shown as secured to the same by means of a clamp ring.

Fig. 12 is a modication of the parts shown in Fig. 1'1.

, Fig.,13 is a further modification.

Fig. A14 is a still further modication. Fig. 15 is an end view of the fragmentary parts of Fig. 12. 20(

Fig. 16 is a partial planview of 'a spring of Fig. I1.

Fig. 17 is a side view of the same spring.

Throughout theA views, the same or duplicate parts are indicated by the same reference nu- 2. merals. f

It is common practice in the dental .and o-rthodontic professions to use devices for straightening teethv from conditions of malocclusion, wher in a wire clip and one or more springs act against the teeth to be straightened, or else wires, etc., are used to engage the teeth with one end located in small tubes secured to metal bands' surroundingthe individual teeth involved. In these devices, the springs may be pivotally .attached to the wire by means of sleeves soldered to the springs, or the springs-are soldered to the wire. Itis a well known fact that the making of such appliances, including ythe soldering of small parts A.il

etc., requires a great deal. of practice .and skill, and is often very troublesome.

It must also be added that the heat necessaryV to soldering or brazing operations tends to more or less deprive the springs and even the arch wires of their characteristics, such as hardness, resiliency, rigidity and. color.

Hencevwith the foregoing objects in view, .and in order todepart altogether from above enumerated disadvantages heretofore prevalent in the art, the present invention does away with the use of soldering, brazing or any and all heating operations and treatments by means which will now be described in detail, due reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

is Y

In the practice of my invention, a lingual arch wire of known type consisting of two lingual arch members I and 2, retained in assembled relation by a sleeve 3 is provided with .a plurality of members for securing various appliances to said arch members, in the form of simple clamping rings or annular clamps 4, 4, etc. The said clamping Yrings are first passed over the arch member intended to be provided with .an actuating member to the desired position, and then a spring 5, for example, preferably tapered and flattened along one side, is thrust by its smaller end under the clamping ring which is to secure it, and the spring then forced ythrough the space between said ring and the arch member until the spring is firmly wedged in place and cannot/'be forced in further. In order to make certain that the spring will not turn or twist in any manner, the arch wire may be flattened along the Youter side. A fragmentary section of such arch wire is shown in Figs. 11 and 15, for example, the flat portion 49 mating with the flat side of a spring or member 50.

The spring 5 is also shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, wherein it may be clearly seen that it is not only tapered, but also practically half round. When it is to be applied to anarch wire,.it is preferably bent into desired shape as illustrated -in Fig. 1, the full lines` showing its form when free from restraint, while it may assume a shape indicated at B or 'I when placed against a tooth whichris to begradually influenced and moved thereby.

A different actuating member is shown in the form of a spring 8 in the'i-lrst three views, the same tapering initially toward the ends and'having at least one side flat along the entire length, except for a stop projection II, while a `locating projection 9 is disposed on the opposite side. A clamping ring 4, similar to that already mentioned is placed in position on either arcl'i member I or 2, over a notch similar to I5 in the member involved after having rst placed the spring B in position on the arch member so that its locating projection 9 fits into the notch, lthe clamping ring being` necessarily forced into position upon the spring until it is wedged thereon and abuts stop projection`II, when it will be found that the spring is fast on the arch member. 'Ihe ends may be bent or doubled over and.` the extremities as well, as indicated at I9, I8, a section through the doubled over portions being shown in Fig. 4, illustrating that the meeting sides are advantageously at. At the right, upon arch member 2, the spring is shown with the one end I2 only slightly bent instead of being bent double, this form being occasionally useful. l

`Instead of havingthe spring Vprovided with a projection engaging in a notch on the arch member, a slight modication of the clamping ring is feasible as indicated at I3, the same securing a resilient hook I6 in position on the arch 'member Vand being itself definitely located in desired position by having a portion I4 indented so as to project into a notch similarV to notch I5 in the arch. On the arch member I is slidably mounted a sleeve I1 having a row of one way teeth I9 which are engaged by the hooked end I8 of mem- Vber I5, it being obvious that when the latter member is retained in fixed position on'the arch member, the hooked end I8 will prevent the sleeve I1 from entering further up on `said member, but may be drawn toward the lower end thereof while the end I8 of -the'hooked member IG'slips over one after the other ofteeth I9. Any attained position of sleeve II will thus be retained 32, 32 on said sleeves.

it by projecting into notch I5, the indicated ringV retaining a reversed spring indicated at 2I. The forms of springs and arch wires as well as other actuating members just described are illustrative of certain usesof the clamping rings on lingual Varch wires, but many other uses are possible.

In Fig. 6 a labial arch wire or frame is shown in a panoramic plan view as built up of several members, as for example, of a relatively light and resilient member 2| having the ends thereof secured to a pair of heavier side wires or arch members 24, 24 4by means of annular clamping members 23, 23. If found necessary, the intermediate arch member 2I may be divided in the center and the two parts secured to each other by a clamping ring or member, although thisis superfluous to illustrate as it is easily understood from what appears in Fig. 6. This lighter member 2|, however, is provided with a plurality of Vindividual springs or actuating members similar to 25 which are attached by clamping rings 25, 25 and bear against the front teeth 21 of the teeth to be treated. I'heseY springs are introduced into position under their clamping members 25 from their pointed ends, and thereafter bent when in position to conform with the desired shapes or conditions to be met. j

'Ihe opposite ends of the side wires 24, 24 are preferably Ybent or shaped at 29, 29 and adapted, if desired to engage againstthe eye teeth 38, 39, respectively. At the other ends of said side wires sleeves V33, 33 are placed upon said members in slidable relation, and have anchoring bands 34, 34

permanently secured Ythereto for anchoring the e whole assemblage to the teeth 35, 35, while the sleeves are retained in proper position upon the arch wires by hooks 3l, 3I engaging projections The hooks are secured upon the arch wires 24, 24 by clamping rings or members 28, 28, which are similar toi-rings 4, 23 or l25, except as to size. Rings 23 are naturally larger than rings 28, as the ends 22 of arch wire 2I are somewhat larger than the ends of hooks 3 I.

The springs or ingers 26 have been stated to be bent after being set in place upon the arch wire 2|, and in Figs. 11, 13, 14, 12, 15, fragmentary sections of an arch wire are shown with a tapered spring retained in position by a clamping ring. In Figs. 11, 13 and 14, the part 48 of the arch wire has a flat side 49 against which a spring is held by clamping ring 4, similar to rings 4 in Fig. 1. The spring 56 in Fig. 11 has the tapered end 5I wedged under the ring 4 and is bent transversely to the axis of arch .wire 48, while in Fig. 13 the spring or nger 56 is similarly held, the tapered end 58 is bent transversely to arch wire 49 from an original position indicated at 5l. The spring or nger 59 in Fig. 14 is retained against iat side 49 of the arch Wire and has both ends bent perpendicularly to said hat side,'the smaller end 6I having in this case been cut off from an original length indicated at 68 after having been bent upwardly from initial form indicated at 52.' The Vtwo partial views of such springs or fingers as -are used Vin Fig. 11 ar-e also shown in initial respectively by'means more tapered or pointed springs or fingers in the other views.

The fragmentary arch wire 52 of Figs. 12 and 15 has a spring or nger 53 tapered at 54 and secured to the wire by a clamping ring I3 similar to ring I3 of Fig. 1 and having its indented portion projecting into anotch not shown in wire 52 butsimilar to notch I5 in arch member 2 of said Fig. 1. The tapered end 54 may be bent vdownwardly at an angle as indicated at 55, if desired.

A third type of arch or appliance is illustrated in Fig. 1, the same being intended to be inserted in a gap between two spa-ced teeth occupy the place of missing teeth, the tapered clasps 3% and 38, for example being adapted to grip two such spaced teeth, and the other two tapered clasps 43 and 46 beingl adaptedy to clasp two corresponding spaced teeth on the other side of the same set of teeth. In order `to render the distances between the clasps adjustable to suit various conditions, the clasps 36 and 46 have tapered Shanks 31 and `45, respectively, which are secured to Shanksr 39 and 44 of clasps 38 and 43, ofv annular clamps or rings 40 and 41. Upon shank 39 of clasp 38 is a fixed side projection 4I which is taperedand secured to a bar 42 rigid with shank 44 of clasp 43 by means of clamping ring 4. The tapered ends of the mentioned projections provide for wedging of the parts within the clamping rings or members while the relatively straight portions of shanks 39, 42 and 44 allow initial shifting or changing of the relative distances of the clasps yfrom each other when the tapered ends of shanks 31,` 4I and 45 have been initially inserted beneath rings 40, 4 and 41, respectively. This form of vconstruction makes it possible to adjust the clasp appliance just described to various sizes of mouths and different spaces between teeth. It isV then intended to secure replacement teeth upon the parts of the device between .the clasps on each side, the bar or cross member 42 being curved to follow the shape of the roof of the mouth in which the appliance is to be located.

'I'he bar 42 may be disposed centrally between the clasps.

Manifestly, variations of my rinvention are possible and may be resorted to, while parts may bemodiiied or used without others within the scope of the invention, and all such variations may be readily understood from the above description and accompanying illustration ywithout further elaboration, as such structures will easily suggest themselves to lthose skilled in the art. y l

Having now fully described my invention, I

claimz 1. A dental appliance including a main Yelonl gated member forming a frame, means for anchoring the same to a holding tooth including a sleeve frictionally mounted upon said member and having an anchoring bandsecured thereto and surrounding said tooth, a projection disposed upon said sleeve, a hooked member engaging said projection to retain the sleeve in predetermined position upon the elongated member, and means securing said hooked member upon. said elongated member comprising a clamping ring retaining a portion of said hooked member in intimate wedged relation with said elongated member by enveloping both of said members.

2. A dental appliance including the combination, with a wire member forming part of a frame, there being a ilattened side upon the same and a depression in the form of a notch in said flattened side, of an actuating device including an elongated spring 4or" non-circular cross section having a portion of the same held against the attened side a projection upon said spring extending into said notch in the flattened side of said wire member to definitely locate said spring in position on said wire, and a clamping ring surrounding both said wire member and said spring and frictionally retaining the two in assembled relation with the projection upon the spring located in the notch upon said wire.

3. A dental appliance according to claim 2, wherein the spring has a second projection forming a stop against which the clamping ringy appliance according to claim 2,

of said wire member,

upon the wiremember in predetermined accurate ppsition.

6. A dental appliance including the combination, with a wire member forming part of a frame, there being a portion upon said wire member adapted to have an actuating device held against the same, said portion having a depression in the form of a not-ch therein, of an actuating device in the form of an elongated spring having an engagement portion on the same held against said portion upon said wire member, a projection upon said engagement portion of said device extending into the notch in the wire member serving to definitely locate said spring in position therein, and a clamping member surrounding both said wire member and said spring and frictionally retaining the two in assembled relation with the projection of the actuating de- 

